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Paul K. Feyerabend. Foundation. « Solidarity » and « community » are the concepts at the heart of the action of the Foundation … Solidarity is an attitude and a ...
« Solidarity » and « community » are the concepts at the heart of the action of the Foundation … Solidarity is an attitude and a value. Starting from the recognition of the “Other” (cf. Kapuscinsky), solidarity compels us to help one another, to question differences of power, to create or strengthen human bonds. In a globalised world, dominated by pitiless political, economic, and financial powers, solidarity is one of the strengths of people fighting for life with dignity. It is also a way to add meaning to human relations. The Foundation is concerned with conventional communities—sharing a territory and a culture, but also with virtual communities— sharing a concern or an engagement to improve the life of others, to conserve biological and cultural diversity, and to ensure the respect of human rights.

Support the Foundation There are two main reasons to support the Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation. The first is your desire to honour Paul’s memory. You may be among those who attended his lectures, read his books or enjoyed the pleasure of his friendship. You have been touched by those experiences and oriented in life and work, and you now wish to participate in a project in Paul’s memory. The second reason is your adherence to the aim of the Foundation. You may believe that community solidarity is a powerful force, a place of positive action deserving support against the tide of our materialistic societies. If you wish to help the Foundation as a volunteer, or to receive more information, please contact Eric Danalet [email protected] or visit the site www.pkfeyerabend.org For a financial gift, please use account No. 204724 (Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation), Bank Lombard Odier Darier & Hentsch, 11 Rue de la Corraterie, 1204 Geneva, Switzerland. The Foundation has been recognized as a charitable organisation; your gifts are thus tax-deductible in the majority of Swiss Cantons. Thanks in advance for your support!

Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation

Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation

Grants and prize

Initiatives in 2006 and 2007

The Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation was created in Switzerland in March 2006. Its international Board of Directors comprises six members.

The initiatives supported by the Foundation can : • engage less favoured communities in solidarity processes to improve their own living conditions, their environment and their rights ; • confront the social conditions that promote or perpetuate the lack of solidarity within and among communities ; • support virtual communities, organised to defend common values relevant to the aim of the Foundation.

The Foundation has supported : • a project by Yayasan Palung, an NGO of West Kalimantan (Indonesia), helping two communities to legalise their rights over their customary forests bordering Gunung Palung National Park, and to manage those forests in a sustainable way ; • an original film (Women of South production) about the Tsinjo Aina programme, which confronts the problem of usury in Madagascar. Supported by the Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, the programme works in an exemplary way so that peasants free themselves from the burden of usury.

Critical philosopher and historian of science, Paul K. Feyerabend was a powerful advocate of everyone’s freedom to determine one’s own priorities and values. The Foundation draws inspiration from his work – his refusal of the tyranny of “Truth”, “Reason” and imposed methods – but most of all from his appreciation of the complexity of the human experience. The Foundation promotes the empowerment and wellbeing of human communities through solidarity initiatives that value and support the communities’ own capacities, and sustain their biological and cultural diversity.

The Foundation also occasionally awards the Paul K. Feyerabend Prize, sub-titled “a world of solidarity is possible”. The Prize acknowledges remarkable, inspiring accomplishments. The Foundation has identified a number of qualified individuals– the Nominators– who act as intermediaries between the Foundation and the proponents of initiatives.

www.pkfeyerabend.org

There exist movements [that] proceed in [a] particularizing, non-objective, interactive manner. Some approaches in the area of conservation and development are examples, liberation theology is another. Let us support these approaches and learn from them instead of continuing old-style epistemologies and other ‘authentic’ games! Paul Feyerabend – 1994

The recipients of the 2007 Paul K. Feyerabend Prize are : • Hernán Rodas Martínez (Ecuador) – for his outstanding promotion of community solidarity in Zhumiral and Paute ; • Nurit Peled-Elhanan (Israel)– for her engagement in “peace with justice” between Israelis and Palestinians.

Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation

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